Trump says “everything will be fine” about María Corina Machado’s return to Venezuela

U.S. President Donald Trump said “everything will be fine” when asked whether Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado should return to Venezuela, stopping short of explicitly confirming whether he supports her plans.

“She is an excellent woman,” Trump told reporters Monday at the White House. He also referred to Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize and repeated that “everything will be fine.”

Trump’s comments came a day after Machado published an opinion article in the New York Post in which she described her return to Venezuela as “urgent.” She said she wants to be present in the country to accompany Venezuelans, strengthen civic organization and contribute to a democratic transition.

Machado also called for a date to be established for presidential elections within the next year, along with reforms aimed at ensuring free and fair voting.

Machado has said she has attempted to return to Venezuela by air and sea but has not been able to do so. Her latest statement has put her potential return back at the center of discussions over Venezuela’s political future.

Trump’s remarks came after his September 22 meeting in New York with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, amid changes in Washington’s relationship with the Venezuelan government. The United States and Venezuela also announced an oil agreement in August.